Richard HUNT & Elizabeth ALLSOP were married on 22.7.1821 at St.Margaret,
Westminster. Elizabeth's sister Argentine was the only family witness.
They lived in James St and Charles Place in the 1820's and 30's. They
had eight, possibly nine, children,

Here we have both baptism and birthdates. Thus Julia and Reuben are not
necessarily twins. The baptism records at St Mary Abbot describe Richard
as a carpenter. They lived in James St until some time after the baptism
of Charles when they moved to Charles Place. Henry's birth (>1837)
was registered at Charles Place but there is no baptism record. Nothing
is known about Reuben but the fact that Charles christened his first son
Reuben suggests he may have died.
The only evidence of their whereabouts in the 1840's are the P.O. trade
directories for 1843,44 which list a Richard Hunt, carver & gilder
at 11 Halkin St. West, Belgrave Sqare and the address, 6 Queen St (now
Flood St), from where Charles submitted his first exhibited paintings
in 1846,48. However there were no Hunts at these addresses in the 1841
census. (The 1841 census for Kensington is officially described as "missing",
presumably destroyed.)
The Halkin St address is a puzzle because it was (as now) very 'up market'.
However a church in the street (Belgrave Episcopal Chapel) was being built
or restored and it is possible that for 2 years they were accomodated
in an empty apartment while Richard worked on the Church.
The 1851 census finds them at 6 Queen St, Chelsea: Richard (50) Carver
& Gilder; Elizabeth (47) Shopkeeper; Alfred (25) Pattern maker; Charles
(27) Artist; Thomas (12) "at home", niece Ann Harris (17) "at
home". This is the first mention of Thomas: it is just possible they
had a son to follow Henry but equally he may %_be%_ Henry! All kinds of
mistakes and inconsistencies appear in census records! Thus Charles should
be 21 from his baptism and death records and he is consistently 31, 41,
51 in the subsequent censuses. The children Reuben, Isabel, Owen and Henry
(if he isn't Thomas!) are not listed: are they staying with grandparents
or other relations or friends, or employers?
Between 1851-61 we have the following clues. The P.O trade directory for
1856 lists a Richard Hunt, Carver & Gilder at 5 Caroline Place in
the Fulham Rd, Brompton. Charles gave Sands End Cottage as the birthplace
of his first child in 1857 which suggests it was the family home in the
late 50's, and Owen Hunt's children were born either at Sands End or Stamford
Cottages. Isabel was married in 1856 at All Saints church, Fulham and
moved to Bayswater (2 James St. West) where William Finden was born 20.9.1858.
The 1861 census finds the family living at 23 Sands End Lane, Fulham as
three separate households: Richard(63, Carpenter); Eliz(58) and niece
Ann Harris(27, laundress); Alfred & Mary & their children; Henry
& Henrietta & daughter Virginia. Charles and Owen were not far
away at 17 Pomona Place, Kings Rd. Isabel and William have by now moved
to 15 Stanley St. Chelsea where Isabel Dorcas was born 30.4.1861. Nothing
is known of Isabel after that.
From the Fulham rate books we know that Charles moved to Cuba House (in
the North End Road) 1862-65, then to Hope Terrace 1866-67, and then to
60 Barclay Rd, Fulham. Henry's family took their place at 17 Pomona Place
although they had moved on by 1871.
At the 1871 census Richard(74) and Elizabeth(68) are living at at 2 Salem
Place, Fulham Rd. Also present are grandson Claude(6) (presumably Charles'
son who is actually 8) and a lodger (an iron foundry trimmer). Alfred's
family are the sole occupants of the Sands Ends cottage (they have 9 children)
and Owen's family are the only Hunts at 17 Pomona Place. Charles and his
family are by now at 60 Barclay Rd, Fulham. According to the electoral
roll Alfred is still at Sands End in 1876.
At the 1881 census there are no Hunt's at Sands End, but Owen is still
at Pomona Place (no.28). Charles and his family have moved to Wandsworth
(6 Granville Rd). Salem Place is identified in the 1880 P.O. Northern
suburbs directory but not in the 1881 census. The former lists Owen Hunt
at no.3. We cannot locate Alfred. Henry is at 12 Providence Terrace in
1884/5.
Richard died 11.11.1877 at 3 Salem Place aged 81 (83 on the Burial certificate).
The informant was V.Hunt, granddaughter (presumably Virginia). Elizabeth
(Dorcas) died about a year later (1.10.1878) at the same address (informant
Charles then living at 55 Barclay Rd). They were buried in Brompton cemetery
quite close to the grave occupied by Susanna, Henry and Emma Brooker.
Elizabeth's death certificate is the first we know of the name Dorcas,
but it enabled us to identify an Isabel Dorcas Finden born 30.4.1861 (among
a number of Finden births) as Isabel Julia's daughter.
Richard is variously described as 'carpenter', 'carver & gilder',
'carver' on the census, baptismal and marriage records. At Alfred Hunt's
wedding he is even described as an 'artist'!. But in the trade directories
(where it was a matter of business) he describes himself as a 'carver
& gilder'. On his death certificate he becomes a 'cabinet maker' but
it is often the case that the deceased gets 'promoted' occupationwise.

Owen HUNT and his family

We have been unable to trace the marriage of Owen Hunt and Mary May but
presumably it was sometime before the birth of their first children (twins)
in 1857. Mary was born in Tupton, Derbyshire according to the 1861 census
which gives her age as 24. We think we have traced her birth to 26.6.1836

They lived at Pomona Place for over 30 years (1861-92) at various nos.
17, 19 and 28, although whether this is the same house renumbered is not
clear. In the West Kensington local directory no. 28 is listed as a 'general
shop'. In the 1880 P.O. Northern Suburbs Street Directory Owen is also
listed as the occupant of 3 Salem Place (where his father died in 1877)
and this also described as a general shop. Owen's death certificate describes
him as an 'engineer' so it is likely that he was in the engineering business
while his wife and family managed the shop. By 1893 he has moved to 27
Bettridge Rd (presumably retired).